


Together In Paris

by Metalbendrs



Series: FairyTales of Ladybug and Chat Noir [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Almost Anastasia AU, F/M, Oh shit it's another fairytale rewrite, aka Molly needs to finish one fanfic before writing another
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 15:31:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8166919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metalbendrs/pseuds/Metalbendrs
Summary: There's a rumour in St Petersburg, that even after all these years, Empress Alexandra is still searching for her lost son, Prince Adrien. Marinette believes she can find the prince, or at least someone who looks like him, and Adri just wants to go home, wherever that may be.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by my own post metalbendrs.tumblr.com/post/137735787710/ok-but-mlanastasia-au  
> (and Kai bc queen of Anastasia AUs)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Have you heard? There's a rumour in St Petersburg!"

_It is 1916, St Petersburg is alive with the music that flows from the palace. A grand ball is being held by the Tsar Gabriel to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Agreste rule._

_Somewhere beyond the lavish gowns and opulent jewels, Prince Adrien clings to his mothers skirts, and smiles sadly as she kneels to meet his eyes. The prince blinks away tears, but still stands bleary eyed. His mother hands him a music box, and a necklace, so that while she leaves for Paris, he can still be lulled to sleep by their favourite melody. The air is thick with tension, whispers of a revolution plague his ears._  
Adrien can not meet her gaze anymore, tears threatening to spill, tickling his lashes, he stares instead at the necklace, tracing its inscription.  
"Together in Paris?" He asks, tilting his eyes to meet his mothers, hers as soft as always.  
She nods.

_Suddenly, there is a thunderous roar and the balls patrons grow silent, the air seems to thicken to the point of suffocation as the doors groan open._

_Hawkmoth, a sorcerer and former advisory to the Agrestes enters, and the crowd parts as he moves towards the throne.  
Years prior Hawkmoth had been banished for treason, now poisoned by betrayal and spite, it is said that he sold his soul in exchange for unholy power, which he uses to place a curse on the Agreste family._

_The ball erupts further into chaos when a siege of the palace occurs, and Adrien and his mother, Empress Alexandra, find themselves trapped in the young princes room, unable to escape._

_A young girl working as a tailor in the palace opens a secret passageway, begging the royals to escape. As the Prince and his Mother rush past, the tailor girl grabs a small music box from the floor and closes their escape passage._

_The pair manage to reach a moving train outside the palace gates, but as Alexandra climbs aboard, Adrien falls behind, his mothers hand extended, the prince reaches out and fails, tripping and laying unconscious in the cold Russian streets._

_That is the last known sighting of Prince Adrien._

* * *

 

Ten years have passed since the fall of the Agrestes, and as always, there is a rumour in St Petersburg: Empress Agreste, now living safely in Paris, has offered 10 million Rubles for the safe return of her son.

Marinette and Nino, two infamous con-artists, well, they could **_really_** use that money.

 


	2. Somewhere Down This Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The world can seem so vast, on a journey to the past"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can listen to the Anastasia soundtrack while reading this, I sure did. (I even took some lines from it!)

**_"Next!"_** Nino's voice was sharp and loud and echoed through the theatre of the decrepit palace. It's sharpness cut through the fog of Marinette's mind and drew her out of her half asleep state, she rolled her neck back, rubbing her eyes with a groan as she turned to Nino, who sat ungraciously thrown across the desk in front of him, face buried into his arms.

It was 1926, and Marinette and Nino have been working together for a long time now. She can't exactly recall how they met, the years after the fall of the Agreste rule and the revolution had gone by in a blur, and somewhere along the way, she met Nino, and they have been doing what it takes to survive ever since.

Even if that includes being con artists.

Since the night of the siege of the Agreste palace, and the execution of the entire Agreste family, aside from Empress Alexandra, and the rulers only son, Prince Adrien, the revolution came, and they now lived under the rule of communism.

It wasn't so bad, but Nino and herself weren't cut out for a life of hard work and manual labour, so forgive them if they had to do things a little different to scrape by.

Fake passports, exit visas, train tickets, restraining orders, you name it, Nino and Marinette could get it.

So when the Empress publicly announced a hefty reward for the safe return of her son, Marinette made a plan to do what they did best. _Scam_.

She turned and smiled hopefully at Nino, she was determined to find an Adrien Agreste lookalike, ( _it shouldn't be this hard_ ), and something told her that this final round of auditions would bring them the boy that would make them rich.

"Mama, It's me, _**Adrikins**_ ~" the elderly man cooed, seemingly attempting to be seductive and failing miserably, his bony arms and body would be off putting to even a blind man, Marinette thought dryly as he waggled his scraggly eyebrows in her direction.

She faintly heard Nino's head thump against the table beside her again and felt a peculiar urge to do the same, to throw her head against the desk and stay there until some perfect Adrien Agreste came along and pulled her and Nino away to Paris, to the life they always deserved.

"We'll find him, Nino, we'll find him." She mumbled instead, clapping a hand to his back comfortingly.

Nino groaned another response, sitting slowly and turning to look at his partner in crime, to which Marinette winked at him teasingly in response, Nino rolled his eyes, turning to face the man, who stood expectantly, still waggling his eyebrows and making kissing motions towards Marinette.

"Thank you, we'll be in touch!" Nino called, scratching through the mans name on their list as quickly as possible.

All they needed was **one** young man who could **possibly** pass for the lost Agreste prince, they could teach him everything, his entire family history. All he needed to do was look the part and be able to pretend for **one** day that he was Adrien Agreste.

One lousy day would be all it would take for Marinette and Nino to make off with the money, and live like Agrestes themselves.

Marinette cast a glance to Nino, who tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose, his glasses pushed to his temples.

They just needed the boy.

* * *

 

"Goodbye everyone! I'll miss you all so much! I'll make sure to send cards! I love you all!" The boy beamed, tripping over his feet but still walking as he waved over his shoulder to the smiling children in the window.

The woman behind him continued pushing him forward towards the gates of the property, her face twisted in a perpetual state of frowning.

"Adri I have gotten you a job at a- **_Adri_**!" The boy in front of her too caught up in waving his goodbyes to the other children. With a grumble she extended her arm towards him and pulled the young man down by his cheeks with a yank.

Adri met her gaze, lips puckered as the woman held his cheeks tightly.

"I took you in, a street rat orphan from St Petersburg who couldn't even remember his name, I fed you, I clothed you, I-"

"I gave you shelter, I gave you a bed to sleep on-" Adri mimicked, and the woman scowled again. Adri smiled down at her, warm and mischievous. "I _can't_ go work at some factory, I have to go to Paris and find my family-" he shook his head, reaching below his scarf to pull out a necklace, reading the description out loud to the crotchety woman.

" _ **I know**_ \- Together in Paris- _**sheesh**_!" The woman rolled her eyes, dismissing Adri with a shake of her head.  
"Nobody's out there Adri, if they haven't come to you in ten years, they're **never** coming."

Adri swallowed the words that sat on the tip of his tongue, nodding politely, he straightened his back. And with a final wave goodbye, Adri tightened the scarf around his neck, and began to walk away from the orphanage where he grew up, walk away from the only life he has ever known.

He didn't exactly know where he was going to go, or what he was going to do, but he was sure he would find his way.

Adri slowed his step, the soft snow crunching beneath his boots as he approached a signpost, he blinked frost out of his lashes as his eyes quickly skimmed the words.

The left of the post lead him to the dreary factory that he was to work in, to slave away and to live the rest of his days alone.

The ride side directed him to St Petersburg.

With a deep breath he turned towards the left, staring out at the factory he could barely make out in the distance. He let his eyes fall downcast and took a step, when a cold blast of wind hit, Adri shivered, and grasped for his scarf to pull closer over his freezing nose, but as quick as the gust had come, it was gone, and had taken his scarf with it.

Adri turned on his heel, chasing his scarf past the sign, and unknowingly towards St Petersburg.

His ratty old scarf lay in a pile of snow, with a shake of his head, Adri leant down to grab it, when he was met with resistance.

A small black cat emerged from beneath the snow, shaking the powder from its head, bright green eyes unblinking as it held the other end of Adri's scarf in its mouth.

"That's mine!" Adri laughed, tugging the scarf lightly and out of the cats mouth, quickly wrapping it around his cold neck as he bent at the knees to let the cats cold head.

The cat leaned into Adri's hand with a soft purr, and Adri smiled widely, pressing his hand down the cats back.

After a moment Adri stood, looking over his shoulder at the sign that faced away from him, before turning his head to the path in front of him.

People always say that life is full of choices, but no one ever mentions fear.

He screwed his eyes shut tightly and took a step forward, opening them softly with a sigh, Adri took his first steps tentatively towards St Petersburg, blood pumping loudly in his ears, hands wringing anxiously.

Adri swallowed loudly, turning his head to meet the gaze of the cat, with a small smile he cocked his head, motioning for the cat to follow him, he could _really_ use a companion.

'heart don't fail me now, courage don't desert me, don't turn back now that we're here' his mind chanted to his body, which responded by taking larger, more confident strides, the cat walking silently beside him.

It didn't take long to reach the outskirts of the city, Adri's eyes skimmed the large buildings, trolleys moving quickly through the roads, the smoke that billowed from rooftop chimneys, he watched in awe. The sounds of the city, people voices and music carried softly on the wind, barely reaching his ears.

With a small gasp he took in the sights, something felt so right being here, something must have drain him back to this city, the place where he was found, the place he dreamed of for so long, dreamed of finding a home and a family, **_years of dreams just can't be wrong._**

Adri took a final scan of the city that stretched before him, before turning his head down and beginning to walk closer.

'home, love, family, I'll never be complete until I find you.' He thought, his eyes pricked with years and frost, which he blinked away.

He just had to find them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh here's the first chapter!  
> Sorry if it's not the best, it usually takes a bit for me to get into the flow so the first chapter is always kinda slow.  
> Also just for note: in my mind Adri would be pronounced Ah-dree or Ah-drey. But I'd like to hear how you guys imagined it during the chapter?
> 
> As always I love to hear your comments, feedback and ideas. 
> 
> Find me and be my friend!:  
> Tumblr: @metalbendrs  
> Twitter: @SabrinaThoughts @Moldawgz

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note:  
> I changed the story a little, so that it is Adrien's Mum and not Grandma just cause it's kinda more fitting and it's an almost au so  
> Fun fact: I named Adrien's mum after (Saint!!) Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova, who was actually Anstasia's mother, which I thought worked well and give it a bit of historical quirk! I'm such a history nerd, so I thought it would be cool to add that. 
> 
> Follow me for updates about the story and more:  
> Tumblr: @Metalbendrs  
> Twitter: @SabrinaThoughts @Moldawgz  
> And please talk to me me!! I love hearing feedback and ideas


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